2010-04-11 19:16

GUANGZHOU - Police have officially detained a student who allegedly splashed acid on 18 of his classmates at a south China middle school on Friday, local authorities said Sunday.

A police investigation found that the student surnamed Cai had picked up a container of sulphuric acid from a street near the fishing port in Lufeng city, Guangdong province, said a city government spokesman.

It was believed the acid had been discarded by fishermen who used it to charge storage batteries on their boats, said the spokesman.

Cai is alleged to have splashed the acid on his classmates at Jiadong Middle School during a quarrel at about 8 am Friday.

Six of the 18 victims were discharged from hospital after treatment. Another seven were being treated at a local hospital and five were sent to hospitals in Shantou city, said the spokesman.

The five students at Shantou Central Hospital suffered burns to 2 to 10 percent of their body surface area, according to the doctor in charge.

Five male students had burns to their faces, hands and backs that would likely leave scars or permanent disfigurements and the cost of reconstructive surgery could be high, the doctor said.